I was nervous there for a minute. Jones actually made some very good pitches today. Zumaya was lights out! We needed this one.....

_________________Regards,

Tim

October 5th, 2006, 4:31 pm

theAlphaMale

Site Admin

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 1:25 amPosts: 4920Location: Hills of Auburn

ESPN.com front page...

Mission Possible

The Tigers are returning to Detroit with exactly what they wanted: a split with the Yankees. With gutty performances by Justin Verlander and the bullpen, the Tigers held off the Yankees 4-3 in Game 2

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October 5th, 2006, 4:40 pm

TADOne

Play by Play Announcer - Al Michaels

Joined: April 27th, 2005, 3:26 pmPosts: 1776

It's funny how the national media writes us off after game 1 and says we should get swept, and now they will be kissing our rear end for a day

_________________Regards,

Tim

October 5th, 2006, 4:44 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 10064Location: Dallas

NEW YORK (AP) -Justin Verlander and Detroit's bullpen held down the New York Yankees' mighty offense, bringing just enough 100 mph heat to send the Tigers home with a split.

Curtis Granderson hit a go-ahead triple off Mike Mussina in the seventh inning to cap a comeback from a two-run deficit, and the Tigers beat the Yankees 4-3 Thursday to even their best-of-five AL playoff series at one game apiece.

After the threat of rain caused a postponement Wednesday night, the skies were sunny for the rare postseason day game at Yankee Stadium. But before a somewhat stunned crowd of 56,252, the wild-card Tigers ended a six-game losing streak that stretched to the final week of the regular season.

Verlander, his pitches reaching triple-digits on the radar gun, allowed his only runs on Johnny Damon's fourth-inning homer, which put New York ahead 3-1.

Zumaya topped out at 102 mph, according to the center-field scoreboard. Walker got the win, relieving Verlander in the sixth with a man on and a 1-1 count on Robinson Cano and inducing an inning-ending double play.

Leyland didn't hesitate to take out Verlander in the middle of an at-bat.

"I just didn't like the fastball before that. It was 92," Leyland said. "I said, 'That's it. I'm going to make my move now."'

Said Verlander: "He's a great skip. When he comes out to take me out of a ballgame, I never second-guess him."

Jones pitched the ninth for the save, giving up a leadoff single to Hideki Matsui. But Jones, a soft tosser when compared to the Tigers' other hard throwers, struck out Jorge Posada, retired Cano on a soft fly and got Damon to fly out.

New York, an overwhelming favorite with All-Stars at every position, won Tuesday's opener 8-4 and had plenty of chances early in this one. But the Yankees struck out nine times and went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position.

Alex Rodriguez had another tough day at the plate, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, including one that ended the first with the bases loaded.

A-Rod, booed loudly after his final two at-bats, hasn't driven in a run in his last 10 postseason games and is 5-for-40 (.125) in his last 11. He's 1-for-8 with four strikeouts in this series.

When the series resumes in Detroit on Friday night, Randy Johnson ( 17-11 ) will test his balky back for New York, opposed by former-Yankee Kenny Rogers ( 17-8 ). Because of the rainout, the teams lost their travel day.

Damon's three-run homer into the right-field upper deck erased an early Detroit lead created by Marcus Thames' second-inning RBI single. But the Tigers tied it at 3 on Granderson's fifth-inning sacrifice fly and Carlos Guillen's sixth-inning homer into the right-field lower deck.

Thames singled leading off the seventh for his third hit of the game, took second on Posada's passed ball and went to third when No. 9 hitter Brandon Inge sacrificed.

New York moved the infield in and Granderson fell behind 0-2 and fouled off two more pitches before lining the ball to the wall in left-center. With the infield still in, Placido Polanco lined to Rodriguez, who made a dive to the third-base bag and nearly doubled up Polanco. Sean Casey then flied out.

"We never give up. That's the main thing," said Thames, a former Yankees draft pick.

Verlander, a 23-year-old rookie who went 17-9 during the regular season, kept getting in and out of trouble early. New York loaded the bases in the first on Damon's single and a pair of walks. But, after a mound visit from pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, Verlander got Rodriguez to miss a 99 mph fastball and foul off a 100 mph fastball before freezing him with an offspeed pitch for a third strike.

New York got its first two runners on in the second but failed to score, and Gary Sheffield followed Bobby Abreu's leadoff walk in the third by grounding into a double play.

Then in the fourth, Matsui singled and Posada walked after falling behind 0-2. One out later, Damon turned on a fastball and sent it into the second row of the upper deck. After circling the bases and going to the dugout, he emerged for a curtain call, waving his helmet to the crowd.

Derek Jeter followed with a double, but Verlander rebounded to retire his next five batters before Posada's one-out single in the sixth brought up Cano.

Verlander allowed seven hits and four walks in 5 1-3 innings with five strikeouts. While he was making his first postseason start, Mussina made his 21st and dropped to 7-8.

Mussina's big curveball was sharp, but he made just enough mistakes to lose.

Craig Monroe doubled just fair down the left-field line in the second and Thames singled to center on the next pitch. Thames doubled to left leading off the fifth, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Granderson's fly to short center, easily beating Damon's weak throw. Guillen's homer was his second in postseason play.

Notes:

Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3, the first postseason game in Detroit in 19 years.

Leyland had a point aobut how people didn't we deserve to be in the playoffs. The media just keeps on going on and on and on about the Yankees. Even on the front page of ESPN.com, the Insider article was about how the Tigers didn't win, the Yankees lost. Its getting on my nerves.

_________________"If he isn't the best football player, the best runner, that the Lord has ever made, then the Lord has yet to make one." Wayne Fontes on Barry.

October 5th, 2006, 8:48 pm

TADOne

Play by Play Announcer - Al Michaels

Joined: April 27th, 2005, 3:26 pmPosts: 1776

[quote]Leyland had a point aobut how people didn't we deserve to be in the playoffs. The media just keeps on going on and on and on about the Yankees. Even on the front page of ESPN.com, the Insider article was about how the Tigers didn't win, the Yankees lost. Its getting on my nerves.[/quote]

Get used to it. That is how the national media see's us. Honestly, the only guy on Baseball Tonight who gave us a chance was Peter Gammons, and he just came back from an extended layoff due to an aneuryism. But, you know what, it doesn't bother me. I would rather be the underdog. All the pressure is on the Yanks to win, and Leyland knows this. JL seems to enjoy being the underdog and everyone discounting us.

_________________Regards,

Tim

October 6th, 2006, 12:23 pm

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10993Location: Sycamore, IL

Is being the underdog and wanting to be looked at as unworthy scrubs in the national eye why the blew the division crown?

______________________Draft defense - CB, LB, DT, LB...WR/KR

October 6th, 2006, 12:28 pm

TADOne

Play by Play Announcer - Al Michaels

Joined: April 27th, 2005, 3:26 pmPosts: 1776

Quote:

Is being the underdog and wanting to be looked at as unworthy scrubs in the national eye why the blew the division crown?

Hey CO2, you might be on to something there. Leyland had this planned all along....LOL.

But honestly, we blew the division because everyone on the team seem to let up after we clinched the playoff birth and celebrated. Players would probably disagree with that, but when you get swept by the Royals, there is little explanation left. But even if we had won the division, I still think that we would have been underdogs to the A's. But the playoffs is a whole new season, and I like our chances after seeing us fight thru these first 2 games.